Accuracy Questioned (speed Camera)

[Coullio]

A Dorset man has successfully challenged a speeding prosecution which alleged he was doing 51mph in a 30mph zone near Sandford when he was actually travelling at just 13mph.

Kris Kaskins could not remember breaking the limit through the speed trap and demanded that the evidence be sent to him. It took six weeks, but when the evidence was released by the Dorset Speed Camera Partnership, it showed that he was doing less than 50% of the limit.

In its defence, the partnership said: "The safety camera had projected a reflected image of the vehicle in question, which triggered the safety camera's radar." However, evidence isn't always offered to accused drivers and incidents like this throw into doubt the accuracy and reliability of speed cameras.

Taken from Local Paper 14/01/2004

[Kremmen]

There was a similar error when the driver of a large Artic got snapped at 18mph.

Apparently, at night, the long line of lights on the nearside of the trailer confused the **** out of the camera and off it went.

The story continued that the trucker demanded a test run with the Police in attendance and sure enough the camera 'got him' again at around 18mph !

More worrying is the flood of congestion charges being dished out to people who have not been anywhere near London !

A TV article recently highlighted this, and when these people asked for the photographic proof, it could not be found.

The computer will dish out the penalties easily enough but there is another program that upon request will search on reg No and date and produce the photo of the car.

The upshot was that the penalty was sent out from one program but the other program had no record of that reg No on that date so the charge was dropped !!!!!!!

But here is the killer - Transport for London (TfL) charge you £10 for the photo search so that you can clear yourself.